..."to all intensive purposes..."

[BelfastBloke]

Anyone notice this yesterday in a thread?

I kept waiting for a pedant to jump in, but you didn't.

What are some other comedy mishearings?

[NotAnotherBrick]

I used to say 'plasate' instead of 'plakate' for placate

I read a lot so I usually mispronounce words if I'm going to make a mistake, rather than the other way around!

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

Perhaps the crucification was literally sufficient

The dictionaries allow literally to be used informally in this way (e.g. an example from the CD is "missed the kick literally by miles), so providing you confirm with the user that they have correctly understood its meaning in that informal context, it's perfectly acceptable. You may find that a sign with the words "kick me" is pinned to your back on a regular basis, but at least you will have the satisfaction of ensuring that they understood the limits of literally.

[cath476]

DH says "windowscreen" instead of "windscreen" and "weary" instead of "wary". Drives me mad!

[Booboobedoo]

Love this thread.

We cast aspirins in my house.

[NickOfTime]

even though i'm a pedant, i'm a big fan of exaggeration for the sake of effect, so 'literally crucified' would have received an appreciative snort of laughter from me

i'm literally rolling in the aisles over the rest of them though.



'rest bite' makes me run screaming from the building.

[NotAngelicaP]

Dione did say she had to stifle her giggles and leave the room

Moving on, my dear Mum used to get very confused with the brand names Dulux, Duralex, Pyrex and Durex. I believe she had many 'interesting' conversations in shops over the years

[NickOfTime]

i have a friend who confesses to shouting in the street 'look mum! it's the durex dog!' at about 13.

[NotAngelicaP]

NOT - thank God it wasn't just my Mum!

I've just remembered an older friend of mine who used to refer to her daughter's au pair as the 'om pair'

[takingchances]

One of my friends writes "Let's play it by year" in emails. Takes all the power I have not to write back in capitals "EAR, EAR" - however I do have a reputation as being a right old bore when it comes to such things so I refrain. Another one that colleagues say all the time is "off your own back". Drives me mental.

[GrimmaTheNome]

The durex dog? Dulux x Andrex crossbreed?

[Dione]

Most definitely a step too far. She was talking about the reception of a Nobel laureate at the UN. When she said it the picture in my head was one of international diplomats nailing a woman to a noticeboard.

[LoopyLoops]

The Durex Dog

[NickOfTime]

those doggy chastity pants are a bit weird too, though...

[toddlerama]

I keep seeing the word 'quiche' written here when I think they mean 'clique', but I think it might be an in-joke I don't get...

[eemie]

Sat through two hours of a tribunal yesterday listening to a social worker saying 'I would confer with that view' (concur).

Nobody corrected her.

[TheProvincialLady]

I used to think that banal was pronounced bay-null (to rhyme with anal). Now I say it that way because it makes me laugh, even if it makes me look like a dick.

[TheProvincialLady]

Banarl (a bit like banana). So it wasn't just me then!

[Merrylegs]

Not a wrong word, but I do hate it when people 'over-egg' their point.

eg: 'Well, that may have been the case 20 or 30 or 40 years ago'.

Or one I heard this morning 'sure, that may be true for people in their 60s or 70s or 80s'.

Often used on phone-in programmes like Radio 5 live.

Makes me want to scream - 'When do you mean? Because actually there is a difference between 20 years ago and 40 years ago and why are you lumping everyone together???'

[Earthymama]

Just seen Grimma's post
'You need to read and listen to Radio 4'and could not agree more!

As a working class child it was R4 and the mobile library that inspired my love of learning and the fact that I know a little about a lot of things

[hallamoo]

Edith Bowman said on the radio at the weekend about X Factor 'Louis Walsh was literally on fire'.

Serves me right for listening to Radio 1 talk about X Factor!

[MarniesMummy]

There have been lots of people saying pacific when they mean specific on radio 4 in the last few days, my ears are bleeding!

Evidently, they just can't get the interviewees these days.

[MarniesMummy]

hallamoo I am beginning to think that Louis Walsh literally on fire wouldn't be such a bad idea.

I'm rapidly tiring of his attempts to cover his "he's like a little Lenny Henry" blunder. In fact I think that may be why the public opted to vote Paige off last week, in case there were any more black people that Louis Walsh could think of.

[CloudsAway]

And how about English spelling of foreign phrases?

per say for per se

something-come-something else instead of something-cum-something else

on mass for en masse

all of which I've read recently.

Other similar ones escape my mind momentarily.